Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice argued in court arguments against Google that ChatGPT and other technological innovations might have emerged years ago if Google had not monopolized the search market.

Kenneth Dintzer, lead attorney for antitrust cases at the U.S. Department of Justice, said Google said it would release its own conversational AI product just days after Microsoft announced it would include chat technology from AI research firm OpenAI in its Bing search engine.

Dinze told Judge Amit Mehta: "This shows what real competition will bring. Google has maintained its monopoly on search for the past 12 years. Would we have seen ChatGPT six years ago? Will we see five other competitors competing in search? These are questions we cannot answer. "

Google asked Judge Mehta to dismiss two antitrust cases brought jointly by the Justice Department and state attorneys general, which are scheduled for September. The Justice Department and several states filed separate lawsuits in 2020 accusing Google of violating antitrust laws by ensuring that its search engine was preinstalled on web browsers and mobile devices. Mehta was responsible for hearing both lawsuits.

Google's lawyer, John Schmidtlein, acknowledged that agreements with Apple and other smartphone makers give Google an "edge," but that they don't violate antitrust laws. Under these agreements, Google Search became the default search engine on these phones. "It definitely brings advantages, but it's not insurmountable," he said. "

Schmidlein's comments echoed Judge Mehta's question about whether Google's default search engine protocol gives it an edge over competitors. Judge Meta said: "These agreements are self-reinforcing in nature. The only unique thing, in my opinion, is that the product gets better as long as there are default settings. Google collects more data with these protocols and has the ability to deliver more accurate and efficient search results. "

According to Schmidlein, Google first contracted with Apple in 2003 to become the default search engine for its Safari browser. At the time, Google was one of many search engines, and Apple's Mac computer had a fairly small market share. Exactly how much Google pays Apple remains a secret, but it could be worth billions of dollars a year.

Mehta also asked Google why it is still paying for default status today when it became the undisputed leader in search. "They spend money to promote their product so people can use it," Schmidlein explains. Whether people switch to google's search service is entirely up to the user. "

However, Ding Ce, a lawyer for the US Department of Justice, said that Google insisted on signing exclusive agreements and paying huge fees. "Google paid billions of dollars to acquire and maintain its search engine's default status," he said. Google has been saying: 'This is because people need us.' But if people really wanted to use it, they wouldn't have to spend billions of dollars a year. "

Judge Mehta also rejected some of the Justice Department's arguments and asked the agency to specify what different corrective measures Google should take. After gaining dominance, Google should have removed exclusivity clauses from the contract, Ding said. That would allow potential competitors to bid for access points on smartphones and browsers, he said, and it would also allow companies such as Apple or Firefox developer Mozilla to design products differently to give consumers more choice.

Judge Mehta is expected to issue a ruling this summer.

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